SA calls on international community to assist in DRC conflict

South Africa has stressed that the international community can no longer afford to watch as the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rages on. The conflict has claimed innocent civilian lives and at least nine South African Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers.

Fighting with M23 rebels left at least 13 peacekeepers and South African soldiers dead after two days of fighting in the eastern DRC last week.

Fighting

M23 fighters, backed by several thousand Rwandan troops, have been quickly advancing toward the city, which lies along DRC’s eastern border and is home to more than a million people.

United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called on Rwandan forces to withdraw from the DRC and halt support for fighters advancing on the key Congolese city of Goma.

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The Congolese army, backed by South African troops as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission, has been fighting M23 rebel fighters in the east of the country for nearly three years.

‘Violation of ceasefire’

In her address to the Security Council, South African Ambassador to the UN Mathu Joyini said the attacks from the M23 violated the ceasefire that was brokered through the Luanda Process.

The Luanda Process was established as part of the 2022 Luanda Roadmap, which aimed to defuse tensions between Rwanda and the DRC.

“We deplore these unwarranted attacks against MONUSCO and the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) uniformed personnel who are deployed not only to promote peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC but, by extension, in the African Continent in general.

“Our sincere condolences go out to the families of those peacekeepers who have lost their lives, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” Joyini said.

‘Peacekeepers’

Joyini said the cost of being a UN peacekeeper should never be this high.

“This Council must send a clear message that Peacekeepers’ Lives Matter. We must value and safeguard the contribution of those entrusted to carry out the mandates adopted in this Chamber.

“It is concerning that the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter are being eroded and continue to be violated globally, including in the eastern DRC, with the evident known and well-reported presence of external forces destabilising the country,” Joyini said.

Call on international community

Joyini said it was crucial for the Rwanda Defence Forces to cease support to the M23 and for the M23 to cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas immediately.

“We cannot accept a world wherein non-state actors are armed to do the will of other States, while those States refuse to accept responsibility for unnecessary armed violence and potential war crimes.

“The international community can no longer afford to simply watch as this conflict in the eastern DRC continues to displace, maim and kill innocent civilians. The current situation in the eastern DRC requires decisive action from the international community led by this Council,” Joyini said

Political solution

Joyini said the Luanda and Nairobi Processes must also be resumed to find a lasting political solution to the cyclical conflict in eastern DRC.

“South Africa commends His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa for his tireless work on the Luanda Process.

“We urgently call on the relevant parties to engage in this process with a view to agree a negotiated settlement that includes peace and stability in the entire Great Lakes region and in the African Continent at large,” Joyini said

Joyini said South Africa will continue to play a “constructive role” in promoting peace and stability in eastern DRC and the entire continent, including through the country’s peacekeeping efforts.

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